homemade granola bars — all aflutter

Tomorrow is D-Day. The contractor is going to start moving in on the house, digging the foundation for the addition and taking down the old staircase to make space for the new one. I'm giddy with the anticipation of seeing this thing actually begin to take shape. We've been thinking about it and talking about it for so long, it's hard to believe it's finally going to be under way. I just can't wait to see it blossom.

In order to try to maintain the peace with our new neighbors while the workmen are buzzing about next to their fences, the boys and I made some granola bars this morning to bring over as a peace offering. We wrote a sweet note letting them know what to anticipate as far as scope and timing. I'm hoping they like the granola bars as much as all of my boys do and that their chewy goodness is enough to forgive us for disrupting their lovely neighborhood for the next 90 days.

The granola bar recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs, Mountain Mama Cooks. Kelley Epstein is a personal chef + mama in Park City, UT and I love every recipe of hers I've tried (not to mention her writing). I’ve been making her Banana Oat Pancakes on heavy rotation and I've been meaning to try the Korean Flank Steak Tacos from her Taco Tuesday series. These Chewy Granola Bars are the easiest and best I've ever made. We substituted raisins for the dried cherries because my boys prefer them. We also used only vanilla extract because I didn't have any almond. You could put any combination of nuts + dried fruit in them depending on your taste and I'm sure they'd be amazing every time. Just don't skimp on the honey.

Recipe:

1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Butter a 9×9 baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Place the mixture onto the prepared baking pan and pat down firmly.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.
I cut bars into squares (resulting in 12 bars) and wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in either the fridge or freezer. Let bars come to room temperature before eating.

Our special delivery for the neighbors. Cards by my favorite letter-presser, Bird Dog Press.

I'm going to try her Chewy Cinnamon Raisin Granola Bars next, though I'm not sure where to get cinnamon chips... I'll let you know how they turn out. xo